Artificial Intelligence
3C Celebrates Small Business Advocacy During National Small Business Week
WASHINGTON (May 4, 2026) — As the nation marks National Small Business Week, the Connected Commerce Council (3C) is celebrating the small business leaders who make their voices heard in policy debates across the country. With over 36 million small businesses operating in the U.S., representing 99% of all businesses, National Small Business Week is…
California’s Proposed Legislation Would Break Digital Tools — and Hurt Small Businesses
Newly proposed California legislation, the Blocking Anti-Competitive Self-Preferencing by Entrenched Dominant Platforms Act (the BASED Act), would break apart affordable, integrated digital tools that help small businesses grow, compete, and succeed in today’s digital economy. BASED is closely modeled on federal legislation called the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA), which failed twice amid…
AI Empowers us to Compete on a Level Playing Field With Much Bigger Companies
3C: Tell us about Sarah Wells Bags. When and why did you start it, and how has it grown? SW: In 2011, after my first daughter was born, I needed a stylish bag for carrying a breast pump and keeping milk fresh. I spent weeks looking for something, but there just wasn’t anything on the…
What Data Privacy Policy Means for America’s Small Businesses in 2026
It’s National Data Privacy Week — a time to focus on how data privacy policy affects not just consumers, but the millions of small businesses that use digital tools to reach and understand their customers, grow, and compete in the digital economy. In the absence of a single national privacy standard, lawmakers across the country…
Meta’s Win Over FTC Is a Victory For Small Businesses
In rejecting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) monopoly claims against Meta, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg delivered not only a major win for the company, but a significant victory for the millions of small businesses that leverage leading tech companies’ integrated digital tools and platforms to find customers, grow, and succeed. The FTC’s case rested…
Shop Small This Holiday Season with 3C’s Small Business Holiday Gift Guide
Every purchase from a small business fuels something bigger than a gift. It supports jobs, sparks innovation, strengthens local communities, and helps entrepreneurs keep doing what they do best. At 3C, we work to make sure small businesses have the tools and policies they need to grow, compete, and reach customers in a digital world.…
Digital Ads Taxes Threaten Small Business Growth
Data-powered digital advertising has been a game-changer for small businesses, allowing even the smallest companies to affordably reach the right customers and compete with much larger brands. But now, proposals to tax digital ads threaten to drive up costs — making it harder for small businesses to connect with customers and grow. The stakes are…
Navigating Uncertainty: The Power of Small Business Advocacy
Top 10 Questions Answered – 2025 Edition Ahead of Congress’s August recess, we hosted a timely webinar to help equip small business leaders with the tools they need to advocate for digital policies that will help their businesses grow, compete, and succeed in today’s uncertain economy. On July 29, hundreds of small business leaders tuned…
How Digital Tools Help Small Businesses Weather Economic Challenges
Sharon Nguyen and Prisha Punjwani, 3C’s Tech Policy Fellows Recent trade policy changes have created serious challenges for small businesses. Most notably, steep new tariffs are driving up the costs of imported goods and materials, forcing small businesses to choose between two bad options: They can either absorb the higher costs and accept pared-down margins,…